LOCAL Evidence fails to link Pelley with murders...

July 15, 2006

LOCALEvidence fails to link Pelley with murders Jurors in Jeffrey Pelley's murder trial heard Friday about a lot of evidence that was tested but didn't connect Pelley to the deaths of four family members. In the defense's opening statement Tuesday, co-counsel Andre Gammage told the St. Joseph Superior Court jury there is not enough evidence to prove Pelley, as a 17-year-old, was the killer of his father, the Rev. Robert Pelley, 38; his stepmother, Dawn, 32; and stepsisters, Jolene, 6, and Janel, 8. B1Inmate refuses to testify in Osco trial With the silver in his wire-rim glasses matching his handcuffs and the chains tethering his legs, 40-year-old Stephen Bethel crossed this courtroom in New Castle, Ind., sat in the witness box, took an oath and then declined to answer more than two questions. Michael McAlexander, special prosecutor in the third trial trying to determine whether Christopher Allen murdered three former co-workers in the Western Avenue Osco Drug store on Aug. 25, 1990, called the Michigan City prison inmate to the stand Friday morning. B1Bunker plan pitched as Blackthorn boon Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend would receive a $450,000 upgrade designed to improve the playing experience if a plan receives support. The proposal, pitched Thursday as a way to burnish Blackthorn's image and attract golf-loving tourists, calls for eliminating some bunkers on the course, while reworking many of the remaining sand-filled hazards. Blackthorn representatives presented the plan during a joint meeting of the South Bend Redevelopment Commission and the St. Joseph County Airport Authority. B1BUSINESSNotre Dame is getting miles of new cable The University of Notre Dame is in the middle of a massive upgrade to its communications infrastructure. As part of the multimillion dollar project, $3.9 million in new cable is being installed in nearly every building to provide faster Internet access and cable TV. In some cases, the work required special care to preserve the historical integrity of some buildings. C10